Words.
Sometimes they harden, wedge in the tip of the pen.
[blocked]
Tap tap tap, scribble scribble scribble to release the knot.
Change pens when the knot is stubborn.
Because the words need out.

Don’t choke them off
Gentle grip between the fingers

Let them be
free (and they will capture truth)
unimportant (and they will matter)
painful (and they will heal)

Let them flow
without fret over periods commas feelings pride

Write the water

Write the most delicious water
and they drink to quench the thirst
fierce
true water
the water they crave when thirst returns
water that wakes the nerves of their craw
falls and fills the channel into their body

Water that clears
self-doubt
Water that nourishes
self-love

Waters no longer mine
as they drink them in, they become theirs
sacrament
shared

©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2024